It's Cold
by Coffee Monsta
Summary: It's winter in Bristol and the snow is beautiful... unless you've forgotten your jacket... then it's just cold.
**A/N: Hey guys! I have a project at school that requires me to write a story, plus I was kinda bored. So therefore, I have decided to write more on young Roach. Luke will be here too, as well as one of Roach's high school friends, Mark. But yeah, I like writing about Roach when he's young... enjoy!**

 **Gary- 16yrs old**

 **Mark- 17yrs old**

 **Luke- 21yrs old**

* * *

Gary stared intently at the clock, waiting anxiously for the bell to ring so he could finally go home. He was 16 years old with fluffy light chocolate brown hair that matched his eyes. Luke always picked on him for his height... he wasn't very tall for a 16 year old. He was a quiet kid who focussed on learning all that he could. But he was _far_ from a nerd. He enjoyed going to wild parties and hanging out with his best friends Mark and Luke.

He couldn't hear a word of what his civics teacher was saying through the headache pounding obnoxiously in his ears. He had felt awful ever since lunch. He had only eaten a little bit in fear of throwing up right after. About 20 minutes later, he regretted eating anything at all. During language arts class he had run to the bathroom and lost his lunch. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, his mind somewhere else completely.

He nearly jumped out of his seat when the bell rang. He must have zoned out... He sluggishly gathered his things and searched for his jacket. It was winter in Bristol and he shuddered at the thought of going outside without one. He glanced out the window and gasped. A thick blanket of snow covered the land below, snowflakes falling from the sky in masses, gracefully twirling in the wind as they descended. He took all of his belongings out of his bag and looked through it. His jacket was nowhere to be found.

 _I could have sworn I had it this morning..._

He quickly put everything back in his backpack and left the room. Maybe it was in his locker. He practically ran down the hall to his locker and yanked it open. The only things in there were his textbooks and notebooks. He slowly closed it and leaned against the wall. Looked like he was walking home in the snow... without a jacket... that's just wonderful. He turned around and was about to start walking home when a laughing blur of speed tackled him to the ground. He groaned and looked up, already knowing who it was.

"Hey Gary! How was your day? Did you see outside? IT'S SNOWING!" Mark said excitedly, getting off him and bouncing around, reminding him of a two year old who had been offered ice cream.

 _How does this kid have so much energy?_

Mark was a junior this year and he was a sophomore. They had met in 8th grade and been friends ever since. Mark was tall, beating Gary by nearly 6 inches. He had dirty blonde hair and perfect teeth, which Gary envied him for. He was very cheerful, full of life. He was so happy all the time that when he was sad, everyone else felt sad, too. Anyone, even someone who had never met him before could easily tell when he was upset.

"My day was fine. Yeah, I saw outside. You should be glad you don't have to walk home in it..." He said with a wan smile.

Mark turned to look at him with concerned blue eyes, suddenly noticing how pale he looked.

"Do you need a ride? I can take you home if ya want."

"No, it's okay."

"Are you sure? You already look sick..." Mark said, reaching up to feel his forehead.

Gary dodged his hands and started walking toward the door, Mark on his heels.

"I told you it's fine," he laughed, "It's not a long walk. Besides, you have dance practice today."

Mark gasped and his eyes grew huge.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I forgot! I have to go, make sure you text me when you get home!" he said quickly as he gave Gary a hug.

He nodded and waved as Mark ran down the hallway. He slowly made his way to the door, trying to brace himself for the cold that was to come. As soon as he opened the door, he knew he should have taken Mark up on his offer for a ride. He didn't want to be a bother though, and his older friend was busy. He would have been late to dance practice if he had taken him home first.

The frigid air bit at his cheeks, like thousands of tiny needles prickling at his skin. The snow crunched under his boots as he sprinted across the street, which was luckily devoid of cars. Probably because of the weather. No one enjoyed being out in weather like this and it was dangerous to drive with the thick layers of ice covering the streets. It was difficult to see through the haze of snow that shrouded his vision, but he knew these streets like the back of his hand, so it was easy for him to find his way home.

He sniffled and shook his head, trying to dislodge some of the snow that had gathered there. He stumbled as his vision blurred from the movement, but was quickly able to regain his balance and continue. He was shivering so hard that all of his energy had been sucked away into oblivion. His arms and face were numb, which he assumed wasn't a good sign. He wrapped his arms around his torso in a pitiful attempt to stop shaking so hard. His teeth chattered noisily as he continued walking at a fast pace, nearly biting his tongue several times as his shivering increased. He nearly cried in relief when he reached the door. He slung it open after unlocking it in record time and ran inside, nearly knocking Luke to the ground in the process.

Luke was a 21 year old ICU nurse at the hospital a few miles from their house. He had green eyes and light blonde hair with a bright smile that could light up any room, no matter the atmosphere. He was a very sweet person, yet I can assure you that you won't want to be around when he's angry.

"Oh my god! Where's your jacket?! You could've called me to pick you up!" Luke screeched when he saw him.

"C-c-cold.." He chattered in response.

It _was_ pretty bad. His lips had a blue tinge to them and he was shaking so hard that one might mistake it for a seizure. He was soaked with melted snow, his face flushed and red from the cold. His breathing was shallow. His eyes were glazed over and he didn't seem to be completely... _there._ Luke ran up to him and cupped his cheeks, nearly recoiling in shock when he felt how cold they were. They were like ice cubes... He reached out and took his arm, pushing the sleeves up and feeling for a pulse. It was slow and weak. He sighed sadly.

"C'mon, let's get you-"

Suddenly Gary went limp and nearly fell to the floor, but Luke was quick enough a grab him before then.

"Crap." He muttered, putting an arm around Gary's waist and pulling his arm around his shoulders.

He dragged him to his room and took his backpack off, putting it in his room before running to start a warm bath. He got a washcloth and soaked it in warm water, wringing it out and going back to his room. He took off Gary's soaked clothes and put them on the floor. Gary whined at the loss of warmth.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'll get you warmed up in a minute." Luke said gently.

He took the washcloth and started dabbing his friend's face, neck, and torso with it, trying to gradually warm him up so he wouldn't go into shock. After a few minutes of this, he went to the kitchen and dug around in his medicine cabinet for a thermometer. Eventually he found one and went back to his room, turning the water for the bath off as he went. He sat on the bed beside Gary and after a few persuasive words, he opened his mouth. He put the thermometer in and closed it, waiting a couple minutes for it to read the temperature. It beeped and he pulled it out. It read 93.5 degrees and Luke sighed in relief. Gary only had mild hypothermia.

He hooked an arm under Gary's knees, the other supporting his back. He heard him whine, but ignored it. Gary hated being carried because he was scared of being dropped, but Luke didn't plan on dropping him. He set him down on the toilet and removed his boxers before lowering him into the warm water. He had made sure it wasn't hot. Hypothermia was a touchy thing and you had to be careful not to put the person into shock by warming them up too fast.

He had to make sure his head stayed above water, which was a hard thing to do when he kept sliding down under the water. He kept the washcloth with him and used it to dab at Gary's face and neck. He smiled as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. Gary looked really cute when he was sleeping. After about 15 minutes, he took his temperature again. It was 95 this time, which was a little better but he still needed to get it higher. He took him out of the bathtub and got him dressed, then swathed him in blankets. Gary woke up a few minutes later. He yawned cutely and looked around. He was still exhausted and had no energy whatsoever. He closed his eyes again and was about to cross the threshold into unconsciousness, when Luke came in with an IV bag. He hung it on a hook beside the bed and slid the needle into the crook of his arm. Gary whined and moved his other hand toward it in hopes of pulling it out. He hated needles.

"Leave it. You need those fluids, so quit being a baby." Luke said, swatting his hand away and laying down beside him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, playing with his hair.

Gary tried to speak, but his throat was sore and dry. He simply nodded in response, which worried Luke.

"I'll get you a drink. Stay here and don't you dare touch that IV."

Gary sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling. His eyes slowly drifted closed and he fell asleep. A few minutes later, Luke came back with a warm glass of chocolate milk. He saw that he was asleep and smiled at the sight, setting it on the nightstand for him to drink later. He fixed the covers so Gary was warm, nearly having a heart attack when his cellphone started ringing. Gary stirred and he quickly left the room. It was the hospital. He answered it and they said they needed him there. He was currently on call.

"Okay, I understand. I'll be there in a few minutes. Alright, bye." He hung up and sighed.

 _I guess I can call Mark, he'll come over and take care of Gary._

It was a Friday night, so he didn't have to worry about Mark missing any school. He called Mark and after a few rings, he answered.

"Hey Luke, how are you?" Mark asked.

"I'm fine, but Gary's not. The hospital just called saying they need me to come in for work. Can you come over here and take care of Gary?"

"Oh, sure. I'll be there in a few minutes. I knew I should've given him a ride home."

"Okay, thanks Mark. You're a life saver."

"No problem. See ya in a minute." Mark said before hanging up.

Luke sighed and gathered his things. He went to the bathroom and fixed his hair, then he checked on Gary one last time before leaving. Mark had a key to the house, so he knew that he could get in. A few minutes later, Mark arrived. He grabbed his backpack with his clothes in it and went inside. He looked around and put his stuff down.

 _Luke must have already left._

He took his shoes off and went to Luke's room, smiling at the sight of his best friend. He walked over to the bed and laid down beside him.

"Gary... you awake, man?" He called quietly with a giggle.

Gary's eyes slowly opened and he turned to look at him with a confused expression.

"M-Mark? When... did you get here?" He asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"A few minutes ago. Luke got called in for work and asked me to come over and make sure you don't die."

"Oh... you didn't have to come... I'll live."

"Yeah I did. Besides, I don't have any other friends. I'm a loner, and I'm mad at you."

"Why?"

"Because you didn't let me drive you home! You would be fine right now if you had let me give you a ride, you turd!" Mark said, poking at his nose.

"Sorry... how was dance practice?"

"I almost fell on my face like ten times."

Gary laughed and hugged him.

"You're such a klutz."

Mark pouted and said, "No I'm no-"

He was interrupted when Gary squished his cheeks together.

"Yes you are." He said with a smirk.

Mark batted his hands away.

"Go to sleep, you're sick."

Gary shook his head.

"Don't wanna."

"Well that's too bad. You don't want me to call Luke, do you?" He asked, slowly reaching for his cellphone.

Gary paled a bit and Mark laughed.

"No no no..."

"Then go to sleep." He said simply, turning off the lights.

"Ugh, fine." Gary sighed through a yawn.

"I'll be right out here if you need anything."

Gary simply nodded in response as he snuggled into the warm blankets that covered him. He sighed contentedly and was asleep within seconds.


End file.
